The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Dec. 09, 1986
Filed:
Jan. 09, 1986
Almeron J Field, Los Angeles, CA (US);
Daniel G Whyte, Orange, CA (US);
Gerald L Johnson, Orange, CA (US);
Santa Fe International Corporation, Alhambra, CA (US);
Abstract
A mobile sea barge having a unitary lower hull which has sufficient buoyancy to float the entire barge, an upper hull spaced from the lower hull by a single, centrally-positioned, vertical member, and a movable stabilizing hull arranged about the central support member for controlled movement between the upper and lower hulls is provided. Controlled movement of the stabilizing hull permits the operational modes of submerging and emerging of the lower hull into or from a bottom-founded gravity-forced mode from which drilling operations can be carried out. In the bottom-founded mode on the sea floor the barge functions as a gravity platform. Movement of the stabilizing hull is provided by a plurality of jacking legs and jacking units which constitute the control devices. The barge can be quickly switched between the surface-floating and the gravity-forced, bottom-founded modes. Controlled vertical descent to the sea floor is provided by the static stability of the stabilizing hull. The jacking legs, which are preferably four in number, are under compressive force during the submerging and the emerging modes of operation.